Iris germanica Frison-Roche - Bearded Iris

The 'Frison-Roche' German Iris is a majestic white bearded iris dedicated to the famous eponymous mountain guide who conquered the highest peak in Western Europe. This variety produces large and beautiful undulate snow-white flowers, discreetly speckled, with ivory beards, and a sweet floral fragrance. Its flowering, rather early, dominates spring flowerbeds with its impressive height. A prestigious name, well carried by this award-winning variety.

The 'Frison-Roche' Iris is a perennial rhizomatous plant that develops in spring in elegantly upright clumps, with foliage disappearing in winter. It belongs to the Iridaceae family. It is one of the many cultivars obtained over the centuries whose disputed origins revolve around the number of chromosomes in potential ancestors. It can be noted that Bearded Irises have European origins. They are plants that thrive in alkaline soils, craving sunlight - their rhizomes must 'cook' in summer in order to flower. A minimum of 6 hours of sunlight per day is generally required.

The 'Frison-Roche' iris will reach a height of 105 cm when flowering, making it one of the tallest varieties. The clump will spread indefinitely over time, with the central rhizomes becoming bare in favour of the outer ones. The foliage consists of long and wide sword-shaped leaves, of a slightly glaucous green, with parallel veins running through them. In April floral stems appear which will bear large, well-proportioned and pleasantly undulated flowers at the beginning of May, opening from the top down towards the lower branches. Discreet green veins extend from the throat of the flower towards the periphery of the sepals. The colour of the plant is, as always with Bearded Irises, enhanced by the thick and iridescent texture of the floral parts.

Created by Cayeux, 1995

Award: 4th prize at the Florence competition in 1997.

To accompany your irises, choose plants based on their similar needs (sunlight, soil), a growth habit that is "respectful" of irises (i.e. non-competitive plants which are shorter, have light foliage), and how they complement each other visually (appearance, flowering period). For example, Gauras won't create shade, and will keep the bed attractive all summer after your irises have finished flowering. California poppies and love-in-a-mist will thrive in the same dry soil as the iris. Geraniums, salvias, and Libertia also complement them very well. Slopes and terraced edges can be stabilised by densely planting old diploid varieties that can remain in place and require little care. If the goal is more decorative and access for maintenance is possible, you can choose more modern varieties, such as intermediates that are less likely than tall ones to be flattened by wind and rain.

The vegetable garden can be embellished with a few clumps or borders of irises, as it is also the classic place for growing flowers for cutting.